Because of all the bad economic news about our current recession, many people are stuck being pessimistic about the prospects of earning extra money online. While it is true that banks are failing, and companies are laying off thousands of workers all around you, it doesn't mean you should shut your mind off to the opportunities for making extra money online right now.

Think about it--the Internet is a global marketplace that reaches out to over one billion people. Some people have been affected by the recession, and some haven't. People are still spending money. People will always be spending money, regardless of the economy.

There are still billions of dollars earned online every year, so having your piece of the pie IS definitely still possible. It might just take a little extra ingenuity on your part. There's a way to make money online without starting your own site, which I recommend--it's called affiliate marketing. It's literally the smartest way to earn an extra income online in these tough economic times because you can get started with a very small budget, with no website, and you can create a full time income for yourself relatively quickly.

What is affiliate marketing? Well, have you ever seen someone getting paid a commission for selling a product in the real world? Affiliate marketing is the same thing. You refer people to a seller's website, and when the people purchase the product, you get paid a percentage of the sale.

One idea for earning recessionary income with affiliate marketing, is to to find affiliate offers which are actually doing better in these current times. Some examples could include "online marketing" products, listings of foreclosed properties, debt reduction offers, etc. All those products are likely to do well in a climate where people are concerned about their finances and the economy.

There are also many affiliate offers which pay you for actions that don't require the customer to open their wallet at all. Many offers pay you a few dollars when the surfer simply fills out a survey, downloads a toolbar for their browser, or creates a profile on a dating site, etc. Many affiliate networks even let you see the statistics as to which campaigns are doing well and which ones are falling flat. Also, there are also many ways to promote affiliate offers without even using paid advertising at all. These include articles, press releases, blogs and more.